Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the positioning of traffic control devices, such as barrel-type traffic control devices, cone-type traffic control devices, and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to devices, systems and methods for removing traffic control devices from a lane of traffic in a roadway.
Description of Related Art
It is known to employ temporary traffic control devices to modify or otherwise control the flow of vehicular traffic on roadways. For example, during roadway maintenance or construction operations, traffic control devices can be used to close lanes of traffic, shift traffic to other lanes, establish construction zones, etc. Example temporary traffic control devices include barrel-type devices, which are also known as drums, construction barrels or orange barrels. Example temporary traffic control devices also include cone-type devices, which are also known as traffic cones, construction cones, or bollards.
The deploying and removal of temporary traffic control devices is conventionally a manual process. The traffic control devices are typically set in place or removed by hand by a worker. The worker might follow a vehicle for storing the traffic control devices on foot, as he places the traffic control devices on the roadway or removes the traffic control devices from the roadway. The worker might also ride in the vehicle while deploying or removing the traffic control devices. In either case, deploying and removing the traffic control devices can require the labor of at least two people, one to handle the traffic control devices and another to drive the vehicle. The worker might also deploy or remove the traffic control devices without the assistance of a vehicle, such as by manually moving the traffic control devices from a lane of travel to another portion of the roadway. Manually handling the traffic control devices can be time consuming, especially over long stretches of roadway. It would be desirable to provide an apparatus that allows a single worker to quickly reposition traffic control devices and that eliminates the need to manually handle the traffic control devices during repositioning.